The Neighbor (The Neighbor #1) (6 page)

“No. The floor plan is typical. Wow, great pie. You
will have to share the recipe. What type of apples did you use?” I knew they
were granny smiths – the green ones.

“I forget the name – they were red of course,” Ryder
said.

We were both full of lies.

“I see you have boxes of books and empty shelves.
Why don’t I help you unpack?”

“You will have plenty of unpacking to do when you
get to school. I will get to the rest of my shit eventually.”

Ryder had cleared all of his medicine bottles so I
missed an opportunity to ask about them. I had not seen as many medications
since my father’s illness. My father was dying so it made sense. Ryder appeared
healthy and vital. I was sure he was not dying. There were many ailments and
conditions that he could have had. Maybe he had stuff for his joints because he
was so active.

Ryder was marinating the shrimp so I wandered about
the house. Of course, I pretended that I had never been inside before.

“You don’t mind if I check things out – do you?” I
asked.

“Not at all.
I’m an open book,” Ryder answered back.

I knew he was lying because I didn’t even know his
age. His hair was not grey.
Although the color of his hair
would not be a clear indicator of his age.
I was over analyzing things.

“I can see you have a viewing room. The screen takes
up an entire wall.”

“Yeah, I like to relax to a movie. I binge watch a
lot of television. I am usually way behind and every five days or so I catch
up,” Ryder said from the kitchen.

“What are you watching these days?”

“I love
House
of Cards
. I am a fan of Kevin Spacey and I love Robin Wright. She has been
a favorite since
Princess Bride
. I am
sure that pre-dates you.”

“I have seen
The
Princess Bride
Ryder,” I said and laughed. “So, you think she’s hot?”

“Yeah.
She is older than you are, by about 20-years but there is a resemblance. It’s a
compliment in case you were wondering.”

“Thanks Ryder.” I smiled but he didn’t see as I was
in the other room. Good thing because then he would know I was interested in
him.

“What do you watch?”

“I am the same. I binge watch a lot of stuff. I have
been into
Game of Thrones
lately and
I am going to start watching
Orange is
the New Black
when I get a chance. When I was young my mom got me all of
the good animated features on DVD. I keep those around and pop them in occasionally.
They will be antiques soon.
Finding
Nemo
is a favorite.”

I sounded like a kid mentioning the cartoon flicks.
It was my attempt at a little honesty.
 

“I love
Nemo
. My mantra is
just
keep
swimming,” Ryder commented.

“Not a bad one to live by,” I told him. ”Ryder, do
you plan on a guest room back here. It’s
pretty much empty
.
I see you have an office and a bedroom. Add on the viewing room, living room,
dining room and kitchen and you seem to have an extra.”

I wondered about the room. In the back of my mind I
envisioned it as a love palace in which he would entertain his friend Sammy or
Amelia from the club. Maybe he would add a stripper pole. As far as his bedroom
went, it was sparse except for the bed. Maybe I
was too
focused
on the bed. I did not want to get ahead of myself and think we
would end up there.

“Yeah, I have some ideas about that space. I will
tell you about it later. If you want to come in here, I can put you to work.
Are you any good at throwing together a salad?”

“Very good.
I was a vegetarian for about a week. For seven days, I lived on salads. My
friend Sayler was eating a burger in my presence. I almost tackled her for a
bite of the thing. I realized that pigs, cows and goats were a part of the food
chain and not my friends. I retained a knack for building the perfect salad.”

I walked into the kitchen. It looked like a tornado
had touched down. Simply marinating some shrimp had become quite the project. I
tore up some fresh romaine and made a light Caesar dressing. When the shrimp
was safely on the skewers, we headed outside. Ryder was wearing an apron, which
I thought was extremely charming.

It was odd being in the shadow of my own home. I had
a direct view of my bedroom.

“I love shrimp on the grill. My pal Leo lives on
Pelican Island. He has a Johnboat that he takes out on the river. He nets
these
himself. He gets oysters as well. We will have to
roast oysters sometime. Do you like them?”

“They’re an aphrodisiac aren’t they?” I asked.

“I think it’s a myth. I find that anything can be an
aphrodisiac if eaten with the right person. Take shrimp for example.”

My hands began to sweat.

There was a slight breeze outside and the heat of
the day had diminished. Still, things were heating up on Lewis Ave.

“To answer your question – yes I like oysters.” I
smiled. I liked that he assumed we would have the opportunity to roast oysters
in the
future
.

“If I open a bottle of wine will you share? I don’t
want to assume you drink alcohol. I was in Western Europe last year and I had
fun selecting some bottles. I keep them on hand and they remind me of my trip
and the fun we had.” Ryder eyes got big and I knew he realized that he said
we
.

“Were you joined by Sammy?” I asked bluntly.

“Yes Sammy came over for a couple of weeks,” he
stuttered. “You are fixated on Sammy.”

“Not fixated.
Just curious.”

“I am going to get that bottle of wine. I have a
nice pinot
gris
. I picked it
up in
Rovere
della
Luna. It is a spot in Northern Italy. Sound Okay?”

“Sure anything.
The shrimp is delicious and I love the fresh tomatoes. They are easy enough for
me to grow. It is something about the soil here but people who live in New
Jersey say they have the best tomatoes. I bet they say that about every state
that grows the things. Along with zucchini, tomatoes are my only crops,” I
said.

Ryder poured me a glass of wine. The glasses were
free of water stains and suited perfectly for white wine. It was a definite
step up from the boxed wine in a tumbler I tasted at Sayler’s all the time.

“Interested in watching a movie after we eat some
pie?” Ryder asked.

It was beginning to sound more and more as if we
were on a date.

“Yeah.
We can discuss what to watch over desert,” I replied.

“I have a theory about movie watching on dates.”
Ryder sealed it – we were officially having a date.

“I think I know what you are going to say. It leaves
no time for conversation; therefor it is a bad idea.”

“No smartass. I think watching a movie or television
is a great way to get to know a person better. There are certain to be
differences but similarities too.”

“Yes Ryder, you can also find something out about
another person’s age. It can be particularly helpful if the date is secretive,”
I shot back.

“Give me one example.”

“If the person likes horror, there are usually
sequels in the genre. Are you for example a Friday the 13
^th
lover or
were you still in diapers when it came out? You may know Part Five better.”

“You can’t use that trick on me. I don’t like horror
flicks. I like a good film noir. I like Rebecca with Olivier, Body Heat from
1980, Basic Instinct, Fargo and shit like that. You can try to find out my age
on that one but it is impossible. There is nothing in the past 15 years because
they haven’t made one.” Ryder was proud of his answer.

“Basic Instinct.
You really like blondes.”

“I do like Blondes. But I am most fond of the scene
where she flashes her pussy.”

My hands were drenched with sweat.
Sweet Jesus.

“You are such a man,” I said and laughed nervously.

“Yes. I am and proud of it.”

Ryder was silent. His green eyes shot through me.

“Jenna.”

“Yes, Ryder.”

“I’m 48-years old,” he announced and laughed as he
walked inside to get my pie.

I knew was lying.

****

“You can’t go wrong with Apple pie a la mode. It is
comfort food at its finest. The crust is flaky. Where did you get the recipe?”
I asked.

“My Grandmother.”

“It is fun seeing you make a fool of yourself but at
I’m an honest person. I am keeping a secret from you…I will share mine if you
agree to do the same.”

“I suppose I will tell you my real age and that’s
all. It is painful to see you struggle with trying to find out what it is.”

“Deal.”

“This is a big deal for me. It is for you to know
only,” he teased and chuckled. He was having fun messing with me.

“I will not tell a soul.”

“I am 33. As a bonus, I will give you my sign. I’m a
Capricorn.” Ryder breathed a fake sigh after he shared the top-secret detail of
his life.

“You should be proud of your age. You seem like you
are 25,” I said.

“I think that’s a compliment so I will accept it.
Thanks.
Now you.
Are you secretly a man who has had
good surgery? Those tits look genuine.”

I laughed and took another sip of wine. He was
really trying to make me blush. Ryder refilled my glass.

“My secret is much better than yours but it’s
harmless. My mother and I live next-door.”

“You what?”
Ryder was confused.

“My mom told me there was a hot new man moving in
next-door. She suggested I bring something by.
A gift to
welcome you to the neighborhood.
I didn’t put a great deal of thought
into it. I got a pie and brought it over. You were not here so I snooped
around. When you sent me your address…I was stunned to find out you were the
hot man next-door.”

“At least she thought I was hot. What does you mom
look like?” Ryder joked.

“Shut up!” I giggled. “You were going on about your
homemade pie so I couldn’t resist. You are so secretive and I saw an
opportunity to play your game.”

“That explains a lot like the car across the street.
I guess the good news is that I have a good view of your bedroom window.”

I giggled again. “So what’s with all of the sex
books?” I managed to ask after I finished laughing.

“What sex books? The movers said they had some of my
things mixed in with another’s. It must be his shit you saw.” He winked.

My heart pounded against my chest. I needed to change
the subject.

“You must admit, this crust is pretty good
considering it has been in the freezer for a year.”

“To be honest Jenna, I couldn’t give a shit how the
pie tastes. The pleasure is in watching you eat it.”

Oh. My.
God.

I couldn’t find the right words to say in response
so instead I stared at the moon that was nearly full. Although the moon and the
stars seemed like a cliché romantic moment, it truly was.

Knowing his age was a start. It was a small piece of
the puzzle that was Ryder Curran. I was eager to learn more. I was also getting
a little drunk.

Ryder disappeared for a moment and I soaked in the
ambiance.

“Are you ready for a movie? I bought this house for
many reasons. Mostly, I liked the way the doors in the media room open onto the
patio. It’s like watching a movie outdoors.”

“I guess this is a test to see if we are compatible.
What movie are we going to watch?” I asked.

He chuckled.
“How about the
Notebook?”

I was surprised.

“Sure, okay.”

“I’m kidding. I will do
many
things to please you but watching a chick-flick is not one of
them.”

I tried not to think about the many ways he could
please me.

“Thank god. The movie is good enough but too girly
for me. What else you got?”

“I was thinking
Gravity
.
It has George Clooney for you and I love the special effects. On the ultra-HD
it looks fantastic.” Ryder loved his toys. I thought my 48” screen
was advanced
.

“I can give or take Clooney. He’s a little played
out.”

“You don’t like older men?” Ryder whipped his head
around as he was opening the sliding glass doors.

I laughed. “Older is fine. Not that much older
though.”

“Just checking.”